Background:The internet has become an important source of health-related information [1][2][3]. However, concerns exist regarding the lack of regulation, quality, accuracy, and reliability of some sources of medical information, particularly in the case of social media [4][5][6]. Studies have attempted to analyse the quality of information available on arange of healthcare related topics across various specialities [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. To the authors' knowledge, no study has addressed the question in relation to adrenal surgery.Methods: This study aimed to assess the information available on adrenalectomy on the first 20 websites returned by the 3 most popular search engines in Europe. Each site was categorized by type and assessed for content quality using the DISCERN score [16], the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria [4], and an adrenalectomy specific content score. Results:The quality of information on adrenalectomy available online is variable. The majority of websites were affiliated with hospital trusts or non -profit organisations, with only one commercial website being identified. However, several websites had not been recently updated and some failed to provide basic information on the benefits and risks of the procedure. A number of links led to academic papers, which were targeted at clinicians and did not provide patient specific information. The mean discern scores were similar across all groups, whereas Hospital trust associated, nonprofit associated, physician and academic websites achieved the highest content scores. Conclusion:This study highlights the for need reliable and contemporaryon-line information for patients undergoing adrenal surgery.
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